STC are involved in a range of research projects that involve different aspects of plant growth across many conditions and species. As well as initiating independent research projects they are equally at home working with a broad cross section of collaborators and as such sit in an excellent position to make linkages between interest groups who can be challenging to bring together.

STC has received significant public interest for the work they do, with a number of high profile appearances in the mainstream media, most recently in early March on BBC Countryfile (see from 24minutes onward). At their site in the Vale of York they have a large number of highly adaptable greenhouses that sit in alongside 70 hectares appropriate for field trials. In addition they are involved with more technology-facing projects such as the LED4Crops that is run by Dr Phillip Davis at STC.
This project is highly relevant at a time when there are concerns about UK food security and our reliance of imported produce. Use of LED technology is proving extremely useful in improving our understanding of the light regimes that are required in order to both maximise biomass production and improve different traits. This is particularly relevant as there is a growing need to work on a constant 12-month rotation.

Researchers at the LED4Crops facility work with both ornamental and food crops and they are hoping to soon gain funding to greatly expand their operation. If the potential of Stacked Urban Farming is to be realised then the type of research undertaken at STC will be critical for understanding the light conditions needed to maximise production in those sunlight-less environments.

For academic researchers STC sits at an advantageous position of being able to bridge the gap between basic research, industry and farmers and are therefore happy to interact with any potential partners. Although researchers at STC are unable to indepedently apply for RCUK funding they are partners on many grants and work on plenty of EU-funded projects.

Please take a look at the STC website and I’m sure they’d be delighted to host anyone who is interested in visiting their facilities.

Phill Davis will be writing a longer piece for the next issue on the GARNish newsletter so please look out for that!

This Arabidopsis Research Roundup has five papers that includes two from the John Innes Centre and two from the University of Edinburgh. Firstly Kristen Bomblies’s group at the JIC have investigated the relationship between temperature and meiotic recombination rates. Secondly Veronica Grieneisen and Stan Maree have developed a mathematical model to characterise cell morphologies taken[…]

The first two papers in this weeks Arabidopsis Research Roundup investigate different aspects of the plants response to temperature fluctuations. Firstly Lars Ostergaard (JIC) looks at the influence of temperature in the control of fruit dehiscence whilst Phil Wigge (SLCU) investigates crosstalk between chloroplast and nuclear signaling. The third paper from Ian Henderson (University of[…]

Charles Melnyk discusses a new paper published in PNAS that describes the molecular events that occur during grafting. The paper is entitled ‘Transcriptome dynamics at Arabidopsis graft junctions reveal an intertissue recognition mechanism that activates vascular regeneration‘ http://blog.garnetcommunity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Melynk_180301.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

This edition of the Arabidopsis Research roundup beings with a study from SLCU that provides a molecular context to the changes that occur at graft junctions. Second is a study from Edinburgh that reports on the findings of a citizen science plant phenotyping project. Third are two studies from the John Innes Centre that follow-on[…]

This weeks Arabidopsis Research Roundup begins with a study from SLCU that investigates the interaction between nitrate and cytokinin signaling in the shoot meristem. Next is research from Sheffield that studies changes to the macromolecular composition of the photosynthetic apparatus following the transition from dark to light. Third are three papers that include University of[…]

GARNet with support from the Bristol Centre for Agricultural Innovation and New Phytologist are organising a Gene Editing Workshop that will take place at the University of Bristol on March 26th-27th 2018. This workshop is designed to encourage interactions and discussion about the use of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in plant systems. We are encouraging ECRs[…]

The cellular mechanics of auxin perception and signaling have been well studied over the past two decades. The pivotal interaction that controls this activity involves the auxin-dependent contact between the TIR1 receptor and a family of transcriptional regulators called AuxIAA proteins. This interaction has been characterised at a structural level with the auxin indole-3-acetic acid[…]

This weeks Arabidopsis Research Roundup begins with two papers from Royal Hollaway University of London that investigate the factors that control leaf development in the dark and the control of PIN1 phosphorylation. Third is a paper from Bristol that demonstrates the translation of research from Arabidopsis into coriander with regard the control of the response[…]

Enrique Lopez-Juez (Royal Holloway University of London) introduces a paper from that attempts to answer a critical question in plant science ‘Why do plants makes leaves in the dark‘? http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/early/2017/12/28/pp.17.01730.long http://blog.garnetcommunity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Lopez_180116.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS